The Call of the Ghosts
by Puking up Diamonds
Summary: Listen to this tale. Ko has gotten into a bit of trouble. She lost her love to a malevolent ghost. Now stuck in the warring kingdoms with a murderer? Many ghosts cry to her. Liberate them all! Oh, what a beautiful, twisted, wonderful tale...
1. The Beginning of the Calls

The Call of the Ghosts

+Prologue

The Forest.

It's a rumor at my school. It's right behind Kyou Academy; a dark forest with leaves and bark tinted blue by the peaceful dead souls that played there all hours of the day. I was never one to believe in superstitious stories such as those, but I often looked out of the window during school, wondering just how you can see those ghosts. Maybe you can see them during sunset? I would twirl a strand of my cream colored hair around my finger, my jade eyes examining that forest closely, trying to look for those ghosts, wondering how they could be so happy dead.

My name is Ko Azukami. I'm interested in the supernatural and all things spirit. I originally came from America as Layette Harrell. My came to Japan twelve years ago after my mother and father died in a drive-by shooting on the streets of Brooklyn. I was the strangest looking girl in Japan, long blonde hair falling to my bum, strange colored eyes; I didn't fit in with my adoptive family in physical terms, which is why I always dishonored them, no matter what. I had learned all Japanese traditions and customs with which my Father Kazuki and Kiku Azukami had taught me. My mother and father had renamed me Ko since when the light hit my hair, it seemed to reflect and make the area around me a bit brighter. I had thrown away my American title; I had renounced myself from being Layette Harrell. I wouldn't go back; not ever. I was only four when I left America.

My life here…yes, I was quite happy. I had friends that respected me for who I was, I had a boyfriend; yes, I was very happy. Still, there was something missing in my perfect life. Something.

It was directly after school, and my boyfriend Koji offered to take me into the forest.

"No way, Koji." I had replied promptly, without thought. I shut my briefcase. "I'm heading home."

"Aw, come on!" He wrapped his arms around my waist and smiled, his black hair mingling with mine. "It'll be fun, Ko. What d'ya say?"

"Okay…fine. You're lucky I don't have a lot of homework."

Koji laughed and scooped me up into his arms. I giggled and stared at him. I frowned; I thought I had seen just the faintest glimmer of a ghost. Koji looked down at my expression and smiled.

"Not scared, right?"

"No…"

The two of us went into the Forest at the back of the school, giggling and flirting like a young couple would. Koji and I stopped at a tree and the two of us kissed tenderly. Somehow, it felt like I was kissing a completely different person. I saw a tail of blue mist fly by and I pushed Koji off of me immediately. He stumbled back and I stared at him. There was something in him.

"What the hell's wrong, Ko? You alright?"

I nodded slowly but gasped, shivering and covering my mouth with my hands. A ghost had _phased_ out of Koji's body.

"K-Koji." I chocked on my words when the ghost raised a more-than-real halberd.

"What is the matter, honey?" Koji stepped towards me and the ghost swung the sword.

Koji's blood spattered all over my body and into my hair. I started crying softly, the ghost gliding away into the back of the forest. I picked up my briefcase and followed the ghost, running towards it. Oh, how I wish it was as solid as its sword so I could kill it! I froze at a bright blue tablet that had ghosts swirling all around it. My chest started hurting, and I released a blue light from within myself. The real world vanished, and all that was left was the forest.

The ghost was still walking through the trees, and I followed it through thick shrubs and thorny bushes. The blue light rippled in the trees, and I flinched and ran faster. The ghost started running backwards, and soon it was gone down a dark pathway that swerved to the right. I ran after him, and light flooded my senses.

Just where was I?


	2. The Call of Bankotsu

The Call of the Ghosts

+Chapter 1

--

My tail twitched.

My tail?

What the hell?

I sat up, yawning. I was wearing a long ocean blue kimono with jade colored flowers on it. I grabbed my fox tail and frowned, crawling towards a jug of water. I looked inside and stared. I had big snow white fox ears and a long white colored tail. I screamed and ran around in circles on all fours. I froze, licked my hand softly, and then stood up on my two legs. I yawned and took a lock of my hair, petting it patiently. I looked around; I was in front of a wooden hut and a gust of hot air blew into my face. There were three kennels, and a man was loading clay pots and vases and skillets into the kennels so that they could bake. I paced around the back of the hut to the kennels, my curiosity piqued by this man. And the kennels. The man was tan, had cerulean blue eyes, and looked about 17; this was probably his home. I crept around to the back and saw him loading pottery into the third kennel. Then he turned towards me.

"Who are you, demon girl?" He asked sharply.

I froze, and my ears and tail stood on end. "Ko." I answered simply. He wiped his forehead and walked towards me.

"Ko…eh, simple name. Fox, are ya?"

"What's your name?"

"My name is Bankotsu."

"Oh…is this your house?"

"Nah; just same hut. I heard pots sell for a lot of money nowadays, so I decided to make some."

"For what?"

"I'm starting my own seven man army. I'm going to get enough money to buy a halberd."

"Buy one?" I shrugged. "Well, okay, if you say so."

"Get on out of here, Foxy. I got work to do."

I walked away, leaving Bankotsu to his business. Since it was getting dark, I went to find a place to stay. I watched the sky turned pink and orange with the product of the setting sun.

--

I reached a cavern around twilight time. I crawled inside and sat against the wall, watching the twilight sky turn completely dark, lighting up with many stars. I sighed and saw blue souls flying about, the ghosts of the unfulfilled circling around the entrance of the cavern. They joined hands and twirled in a large circle. My eyes widened, and my ears started displaying the same tint as the blue souls. They were relatively young, about my age. I stood up and stared at them. They stopped twirling and zoomed into the cavern. I screamed and watched them with wide eyes. The soul of a little girl zoomed in a stared at me.

"Can you see me?" She asked. "Hmm, strange ears."

"Uhm…thanks?"

"There are a lot of dead souls around here."

"Yeah…where are they all going?"

"Ah, we're heading towards the holy halberd that's deep in this cavern."

A halberd? That's what Bankotsu wanted. "Can you lead me to it?"

"Isn't that where I'm going? Come on."

I followed the spirit until she started to swirl with the other ghosts in a tight spiral around a large halberd. It was pure now; stained with nothing but the remains of lime scale from the waters of the cavern.

"Well, here. The halberd Banryuu. If you can pull it out…"

I held the sword tight on its hilt. I started to pull, and the ghosts stopped swirling and looked at my progress. Banryuu was barely budging. I pulled harder, and my ears twitched. My forehead was beaded with perspiration and my arms started to hurt. My ears glowed bright blue and the cracked earth under Banryuu started to glow the same color. I gave the halberd a final tug and it came out of the ground, driving me into the cavern wall. The ghosts clapped and whooped and hollered loudly. They seemed really happy about the removal of Banryuu.

"We've been trying to get that halberd out of here for centuries!" The spirit girl said.

"Yes, that thorn has been invading our home. We're forever indebted to you, fox girl." An old lady commented.

"Thank you, but I need no thanks. I did this for a man with a dream."

"And so altruistic! We wish you the best with your little friend."

"Thank you."

I left out of the cavern, tossing Banryuu over my shoulder and heading towards Bankotsu's hut.

--

"Wow! Thanks, Foxy!"

Bankotsu held up Banryuu in admiration. I smiled, standing near the door in case he wanted me out. It was silent for a bit. Then Bankotsu walked towards me and grabbed my shoulder gently.

"Thanks, Foxy. You're the best."

"No problem. All I wanted to do was help." I put my hand on the door. "I guess I should go now."

Bankotsu stared at me and then grabbed me just as I was in the doorway. "You helped me out a lot today. Now I can use that money for some fearsome clothes!" He laughed and I just smiled. "I think you deserve a hut for tonight. Go on and lay down."

I lied on the floor next to a small fire pit. I stared into the flames, yawned, and fell asleep. The last thing I saw was Bankotsu admiring Banryuu.

**A/N: Now, I don't know whether Bankotsu made pots or anything before he started forming the Band of Seven. O.o just...infering.**


	3. Call of the Traveling Mates

The Call of the Ghosts

+Chapter 2

--

"Foxy, wake up! Look at my new clothes!"

I rolled over from my right side, looking up at Bankotsu. He had on a white kimono set with pants that ballooned out at the ankles. He was wearing gray and purple armor over the white kimono set with a red sash tying it securely. I smiled in approval, and that was all Bankotsu needed. He grinned and picked up Banryuu. I remembered where I had got it from, and a tear slid out of my eye. Bankotsu looked back at me, staring at me.

"What's the matter? Homesick?" The least of my worries. Without Koji; hell, there was nothing to go back home to. "Ko? You okay?"

"Hm?" I wiped the tear away and nodded. "I-I'm fine…"

"Okay, good. Wouldn't want my traveling partner down in the dumps, now would I?"

"I guess not…"

"Good."

Bankotsu smiled and tossed Banryuu over his shoulder. He said we were heading for the castle village of Kyotaka for our search of the perfect band of men. On the way, I decided to ask him:

"Why seven men?"

"Not too much and not too less. It's an unlucky number, and we're not going to be luck to the people we go to."

"Why?"

"Foxy, if I told you, you'd never forgive me."

I frowned and walked besides him, looking at the puddles left in the road from the rains deep into the last night. We traveled in choppy silence; sometimes I would start a short conversation and then he would start another. It was a nice, sparkling day with a new friend; I couldn't have asked for anything less. Along the way, I wondered who had killed Koji back in my time. I noticed the halberd, but the person…who did it? I decided to just enjoy my time with Bankotsu and not think about things like that. It made me cry.

At seven, Bankotsu announced that it was our first night of traveling and that there were many more to come. My tail wagged and I curled up in a ball, watching the twilight sky. Bankotsu was sitting besides me. He frowned in thought.

"Hey, I might need to learn how to make a fire for cold nights." He scratched me behind the ear and my leg started to move up and down. "Do you know how, Foxy?"

"No…" I answered softly. Bankotsu chuckled.

"You sound like my younger sister, Mei." Bankotsu closed his eyes.

"Where is she?"

"Got married off when she was thirteen. I tried to stop it; I didn't stand a chance."

"Hm…That's sad. Was the man old and wrinkly?"

Bankotsu stared at me for a while. Then he started laughing quietly at first, but then it grew heartier until I thought he couldn't breathe. Then he calmed down and rubbed my head.

"That's just what she said to me the night before she left. He was old and wrinkly…"

Bankotsu flopped onto his back and sighed, draping his right hand over his forehead with cast a shadow on his beautiful blue eyes. I stared at him and then turned away, flopping onto my back. My bangs fell over my eyes, and I sighed, thinking about home. Bankotsu and I lay in silence, watching the shooting stars streak across the infinite darkness that shrouded the lands. The silence was good. None of us talked. It was a friendly, all-knowing silence. And I treasured it. A chill came across the ground and Bankotsu and I huddled close to keep warm. I took in his sharp musky scent and fell asleep, listening to his calm heartbeat.

"_Oh, look at that, Mei._"

"_That's brother!_"

"_He's with a fox demon…_"

"_Aw, looks like he finally got a girlfriend~_"


	4. Call of the Spirit Witch

The Call of the Ghosts

+Chapter 3

--

Bankotsu and I woke up with the sun, yawning and stretching. I accidently smacked Bankotsu in the face and he just started laughing. I giggled and patted his nose (since that was where I hit him) and stood up, fluffing my ears and tail. Bankotsu stood up and picked up Banryuu.

"Ready to go, Foxy?"

I smiled and nodded, climbing up the tree to pick up the scent of the village we were heading to. My theory: A village would have food cooking, so I sniffed the air for food. Bankotsu sighed and leaned against the tree. I picked up the strong sense of animal meat frying over a fire that reeked of animal fat. My tongue flopped out of my mouth as I ran into the forest. Bankotsu yelled after me to stay on the path, but he ran after me.

The forest was dark, and there were souls flitting about against the current of the air. I backed into Bankotsu, growling at the spirits. There was no definite emotional aura surrounding them, so I knew not whether to be friendly or mean. I moved on though as Bankotsu gripped my hand. The two of us were both cautious around this strange forest. I tripped over a root and the smell of meat became stronger. I scrambled on all fours across the dead leaves and branches of the forest, following my growling stomach. Bankotsu was running to his fullest extend to catch me. I stomped the ground nervously and stopped directly in front of the smell. There was an old witch lady that looked like a bulb; small on the top but large on the bottom. She wore a large blue and white kimono that was way too big for her. Her staff had about a dozen feathers on it and her gray silky hair dragged on the ground. She thrust her staff at me and I screamed, hiding behind Bankotsu.

"Who are you, witch woman?" Bankotsu asked.

"Who are _you _to intrude into the campsite of Babura? Huh? Do you think you're LUCKY?!"

Bankotsu and I shrunk away, staring at the woman skeptically. She looked mad; her eyes were bulging out of her head, and her nose was terribly big. Babura turned towards me and jumped into the air, looking shocked.

"What is it?" I asked. A gnarled finger pointed at my ears. They had grown bigger and they were glowing bright blue. "Wh-what, these? They're not anything special!"

"Not anything special?! A Spirit Youkai's ear is JUST what I need for my potion! Now come here my pretty!"

I screamed and—grabbing Bankotsu—ran away from the crazy witch who had just started aiming at the crest of my head. Bankotsu stopped and pulled out Banryuu, blocking a ray of magical energy that was aiming right for one of my ears. Bankotsu slung Banryuu over his shoulder and started to catch up with me once again. I stopped when I heard the screech of a soul that didn't want to leave the forest. She was channeled into Babura's hand and flung out at Bankotsu and me. I stopped and growled, getting on all fours. Bankotsu stopped and turned towards me as the energy beam flew towards me.

"Foxy, run! What are you doing?!"

My hands and feet burst into blue flames as my pupils narrowed into black catlike slits. My eyes shone an angelic blue as I screeched, the energy vanishing right in front of me. My eyes flashed and Babura flew back, temporarily blinded. That was when I lunged, swinging one of my flaming clawed hands at her. The claws shredded through soft wrinkled flesh as Babura screamed, blood pouring from the wounds in steady streams. I landed on all fours again, my hair bristling. Babura smiled at me, her large teeth stretching out her mouth.

"What power…you're a young one, but you have just as much power as a Spirit Youkai in its prime!"

It wasn't long before Babura fell dead, her smile still adding hundreds of wrinkles and craters to her face. I stopped glowing and being on fire and all that jazz and stood on my two feet. I stared down at Babura as Bankotsu grabbed my arm and ran, ran me away from the woman and the forest. The souls waved goodbye and I waved back, smiling. Bankotsu tossed me out into the sunlight and then he walked behind me, grabbing me by one of my large ears.

"Ko, what was that back there?"

"I-I don't—"

"You could've gotten hurt! Be more careful, Ko! I don't want to lose my travel mate!"

I blushed and smiled, batting his hand away playfully from my ear. "I'll be more careful next time. I promise."

"Good. Now let's get to that village already."


End file.
